Aaron Bushnell, from San Antonio, Texas, set himself on fire in a tragic act on Sunday to protest what he calls complicity with genocide. The dramatic event took place in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington.
A man set himself on fire on Sunday afternoon outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. A U.S. Air Force spokeswoman, Ann Stefanek, confirmed on Sunday night that the man was an active-duty airman. https://t.co/Xs4p3CdYgG
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 26, 2024
Police and Secret Service agents intervened at around 1pm to deal with the incident. Witnesses and video footage of the scene claim that Bushnell, dressed in uniform, could be heard shouting “Free Palestine”. Despite the swift intervention of the police, the young airman later died from severe burns.
The Associated Press reported that police sources said Bushnell placed his phone on the ground before turning on his own device to broadcast his message live on Twitch, where he declared, “I will not be complicit in genocide.”
According to an Israeli spokesperson, the embassy was unaware of the aviator’s existence before his death. That said, the protests coincide with Israel’s greatly intensified offensive against Gaza, which has prompted international condemnation and debate over allegations of genocide.
A similar incident of self-immolation occurred in Atlanta a month earlier, when a protester set himself on fire outside the Israeli consulate. Both the protester and a security guard suffered burns during the demonstration.
As the investigation into Aaron Bushnell’s latest act continues, there is much discussion about the need for dialogue to resolve what is now a long-running and highly controversial geopolitical conflict.